The Russian investigation into the hole discovered on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft while docking at the International Space Station in 2018 has ended. The Russians say that American astronaut Serena Aunon-Cancellor was behind the flaw, accusing her of sabotage. NASA refutes these allegations.
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In August 2018, NASA ground control detected a slight drop in pressure at the International Space Station. It turned out that the reason for the decompression was a two-millimeter hole in one of the walls of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which was then docked with the ISS. Crew members temporarily patched the hole with epoxy resin.
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Russian hole investigation
The Russian space agency Roscosmos has launched an investigation into the matter. Now, more than three years after the incident, Roscosmos told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that the results of the investigation into the mysterious breach in the ship were sent to the Russian prosecutor’s office, reports the US Newsweek. “All the results of the investigation into the hole in the housing module of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft have been handed over to law enforcement officers” – reported the Russian space agency, quoted by “Newsweek”. No more details were given.
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The American research portal Ars Technica indicates that although the hole did not ultimately pose a direct threat to the crew of the International Space Station, its detection was compromising to Roscosmos. According to the magazine, the investigation initiated by the Russian agency quickly ruled out that the fault was caused by a micrometeorite strike. Some Russian media speculated that the hole was the result of a manufacturing defect in the ship. Over time, the American NASA astronaut Serena Aunon-Cancellor, who flew to the ISS aboard the aforementioned Soyuz MS-09 in June 2018, was taken under the microscope. The Russian news agency TASS was the first to report that an American is blamed by the Russians for the appearance of the hole.
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Roscosmos director Dmitry Rogozin told Russian media in 2019 that the agency was “considering all theories.” – The one about the meteor strike was rejected because the hull of the spacecraft was evidently damaged from the inside. However, it is too early to judge what happened – he said. – This (the hole – ed.) Was made by a human hand. There are drill marks on the surface of the wall. We do not rule out any scenario, said Rogozin.
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